Toy atomic reactor



TOY ATOMIC REACTOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March l, .1955

Sept- 11, 1956 J. F. FuLKERsoN Erm. 2,762,165

TOY ATOMIC REACTOR Filed March 1, 1955 2 sneetssh'eer 2 A 7 TOR/V576 rov Aron/nc REACroR John F. Fulkerson, Yakima, and Leonard C. Cole, Richland, Wash.

Application March 1, 1955, Serial No. 491,466 2 Claims. (Cl. 46-229) This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a toy simulating an atomic reactor.

-A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved toy which Iis simple in construction, which is safe to use, and which simulates in appearance and in certain superficial characteristics an atomic reactor, whereby the toy is of considerable interest to children.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved toy simulating an atomic reactor, said toy being inexpensive to manufacture, being attractive in appearance, being easy to manipulate, and providing an irradiation action which in certain supeniicial respects resembles the action of an atomic reactor.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

IFigure l is a front elevational View of a toy atomic reactor constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross Sectional View taken on the Iline 2 2 Aof'Figure l.

-Figure 3 is an electrical wiring diagram showin-g the circuit arrangement of the atomic reactor of' Figures l and 2.

Figure 4 is an electrical wiring diagram of a modified circuit which maybe employed for the toy atomic reactor ofthe present invention. Y

Referring to the drawings, andY more particularly to Figures l, 2 and 3, the toy atomic reactor is designated generally at 11 and comprises an opaque housing 12 of generally c-ubical shape, said housing having the front wall 13, the rea-r wall 14, the hinged top wall 15, the bottom wall 16 and respective side walls 17. The various walls of the housing may be made of any suitable opaque material, such as opaque sheet plastic material, or the like.

Secured centrally to the hinged top wall is an upstanding post element 18 which provides an appearance similar to the corresponding upstanding element of an actual atomic reactor.

The front and rear walls 13 and 14 are formed with aligned sleeve elements 19, providing a support for respective control rods 20 which are slid-ably mounted in the sleeves 19 and which are provided with control knobs 21 on their forward ends, as shown, said control knobs 21 being positioned forwardly adjacent the front wall 13 of the housing when the control rods 20 are inthe normal positions thereof shown in Figure 2.

Secured between the front and rear walls 1=3 and .14, parallel to the control rods 20 are a plurality of transparent horizontal tubes 22 extending through the front wall 1'3 and through the rear wall 14, the tubes 22 Ibeing provided at the .rear walls with suitable cover plugs 23 and being provided at the front wall 13 with removable cover plugs 24. Designated at 25 are a plurality of slugs of generally cylindrical shape w 'ch are adapted to slidably t in the tubes 22, said slugs having phosphorescent outer surfaces, whereby the slugs will glow after exposure to visible radiation, and will gradually lose their phosphornited States Patent.

f ice escence when removed from the initial irradiation source. Such phosphorescent materials are well known and are commercially available.

Mounted on a bracket 26 secured to the bottom wall 16 of the housing is a lamp socket 27, the lamp socket and bracket being located substantially centrally in the housing. Designated at 23 is a lamp which is mounted in the socket 27, the socket 27 being, for example, of the screw type to receive the standard screw base of a lamp.

As is clearly shown in Figures 1 and 2, the control rods and sleeves are equal in number and are arranged in a geometrical pattern, for example, in a pattern defining a square, as viewed` from the front of the housing, the cover plugs 24 being positioned at the corners of the square and the control knobs 21 being positioned along the sides of the square midway between the corners. Obviously, any desired configuration or arrangement of the sleeves and control rods may be employed, the only requirement 'being that the lamp 28 be located in a position to simultaneously irradiatey all of the transparent tubes.

The front wall 13 of the housing is provided with a suitable Window 29 which may be covered by a transparent panel 30 having numbered indicia thereon, said window being illuminated by a suitable pilot lamp 31 'mounted in a socket 32 carried by the hinged top wall Also secured to the front wall 13 is a control switch 33, the switch 33 being 'located in any desired position, for example, adjacent the lower corner `of the housing, as shown. y

The control rods 2! are preferably made of conducting material, such as metal, and each control rod 20 Iis, providedlwith a depending spring contact 34 at its forward portion and a further depending spring cont-act 35 at its rear portion. @Mounted on suit-able brackets 36 secured to the side walls of the housing are conductor bars 37 which are slidably engaged by the contacts 34, and respectively mounted on brackets 38 are rheostat windings 39 which are slidably engaged by the spring contacts 35 at the rear portions of the control lnods 2li. vA suitable battery 49 may be mounted in the housing, one terminal of the battery being connected yto 'one terminal lof the control switch 33, as `by a wire 41. The other terminal of the control switch is connected by a wire 42 to respective terminals of the sockets of the respective lamps 31 and 28. The remaining terminal of the socket of lamp 31 is connected to a wire l43 connected to the remaining terminal of battery l44), as sh-own in Figure 3, said wire 43 being connected to the end terminals of the respective rheostat windings 39. As shown in Figure 3, the respective contact bars 37 are connected to a common wire 44, which in turn is connected to one terminal of the socket of lamp 28. The opposite terminal of the lamp socket 23 is connected to the wire 42, as above explained. Thus, the llamp 28 is connected in series with the battery and the switch 33 through the parallel arrangement of rheostat windings 39 engaged by the sliding contacts 35.

fln using the toy, a number of slugs 25 are placed in the respective transparent tubes 22, the tubes being then closed 4by means of their closure plugs 24. The switch 33 is closed, energizing the pilot lamp 31 and energizing the lamp 28 to a low degree of illumination. The degree of illumination of the lamp 28 may be increased by pulling the respective control rods 20 outwardly by means of their knobs 21, the outward pulling of each rod `2t! causing the illumination of the lamp 28 to be increased to a certain amount, depending upon the resultant decrease in the resistance -of the parallel connected rheostats. By pulling out all of the control rods 20, the resistance can be decreased to a minimum, providing the highest degree of illumination of the lamp 28. The indicator window 29 is of course illuminated to the same degree as the v 33 may be opened and ycontinuing for a period of time,

lamp 28, whereby the brightness of illumination of the indicia on the indicator plate 30 will provide a-n indication of the degree of illumination of lamp 2S, and will provide .an indication of the level at which the toy reactor is operati-ng. After a period of irradiation, the switch the slugs 2S may be extracted from the transparent tubes '22, as by removing the closure plugs V24 and tilting the housing :12 suciently to allow the slugs to slide Vout of the tubes, the slugs being then in a phosphorescent condition, and the phosphorescence thereof after which the slugs may be again returned to the tubes 22 for an additional irradiation treatment.

The slugs 25 may be any suitable material, such `as cylindrical wood pieces which are painted or otherwise coated with phosphorescent material of a type which can be irradiated to provide a temporary glow, as labove explained.

Figure 4 illustrates an alternative electrical circuit which may be employed for the device, said circuit comprising a suitable step-down transformer l50 having its primary connected to a line cord through a control switch 33', the control switch 33 being mounted on the front wall of the housing in the same manner as switch 33 in the previously described form of the xinvention. The pilot lamp 31 is connected across the secondary of the transformer 50, said transformer being, for example, of the type -employed for model railways and having a sliding secondary -output tap 51, whereby the voltage across the output wires 52 and 53 may be regulated in accordance with the position of the sliding tap 51 on the secondary winding. The irradiation lamp 28 has its socket connected across the Wires S3 and S2, whereby the degree of illumination of the lamp 28 may be regulated by regu- Ilating the position of the sliding tap 51 of transformer 50. The transformer '50 may be mounted on the housing so that it is -readily accessible, or may be located externally of the housing.

The wires 53 and 52 may be receptacle or socket 54 mounted on a side wall I17 of the housing or in any other suitable location on the housing, to provide outside connections for other toys which may .be energizedv from the wires S2 and 53 and whose energization may beV controlled and varied by the adjustment Yof the sliding tap 51 in the same manner as the energization ofthe irradiation lamp,

connected to a further Aconnected to said Ilamp through While certain specic embodiments of an improved toy atomic reactor have been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur `to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention eXce-pt as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A toy simulating an atomic reactor comprising an opaque housing, a transparent tube mounted in said housing and open-ing through -a wall of said housing, a plurality of slug elements slidably receivable in said tube, said sl-ug elements having phosphorescent outer surfaces, 'an incandescent lamp mounted in said housing to irradiate said tube, a rheostat a control member slidably and conductively engaging the -rheostat winding, said control member extending slidably through =a vwall of the housing, and an energizing circuit said control member and rheostat winding, whereby the degree of illumination of said lamp and the Irate lof irradiation of said tube thereby may be controlled in accordance with the degree of eXtension .of said control member from the housing.

2. A toy simulating an atomic reactor comprising an opaque housing, a plurality `of spaced transparent tubes mounted in said housing and opening through a Wall of said housing, a plurality of slug elements slidably receivable in said tubes, said slug elementshaving phosphorescent outer surfaces, an incandescent lamp mounted in said housing to irradiate said tubes, a plurality of spaced Irheostat windings mounted in said housing, control members slidably and conductively engaging the -rheostat windings, said control members extending slidably through a wall of the housing, and an energizing circuit connected to said lamp through said contr-ol members `and rheostat windings, whereby the degree of ill-umination of said `ylamp and the rate of irradiation of said tubes thereby may be controlled in accordance with the degree of extension of said cont-rol members from the housing.y v

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES ,PATENTS lwinding mounted in said housing, n

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